Democratic Views on Gay Rights

Gay rights and gay marriage are becoming increasingly important issues in America. The up-and-coming voters put a good deal of weight on the issues, making them a topic that could make or break elections in the coming years. Democratic views on gay marriage support full equality under the law for same-sex couples, both in the ability to legally married and in their ability to reap the financial benefits that married couples receive. Democrats believe that gay marriage should be left a state issue, and that religious entities should be allowed to make decisions about marriage as a religious sacrament on their own. The 2012 Democratic Party Platform states, “we support the right of all families to have equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law. We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples.”

Gay Rights and the Federal Government

Much like the Republican Party, Democrats believe in leaving marriage a state-by-state issue. The fundamental difference here is that Democrats believe that states should legalize gay marriage and grant equality under the law to gay couples, while the Republican Party hopes to see states make the opposite decision. Democrats strongly disagree with having a federal ban on gay marriage, stating, “in our country, marriage has been defined at the state level for 200 years, and we believe it should continue to be defined there.” However, they would prefer to see gay marriage legalized in every state, stating, “we oppose discriminatory federal and state constitutional amendments and other attempts to deny equal protection of the laws to committed same-sex couples who seek the same respect and responsibilities as other married couples. We support…the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act.”

Gay Rights and Religion

While the Democratic Party stands behind gay couples having the same rights as heterosexual couples, Democrats also believe that religious organizations should be able to choose what they do and do not recognize as marriage in terms of a religious sacrament. For this reason, they do not believe in mandating that churches recognize homosexual marriages the same way that the government must. The 2012 Democratic Party Platform states, “we also support the freedom of churches and religious entities to decide how to administer marriage as a religious sacrament without government interference.”

Democrats vs. Republicans on Gay Rights

The Democratic view on gay rights is that all couples should be treated equally under the law and given all the same legal benefits that opposite-sex couples are. Republicans, like Democrats, believe that gay marriage and gay rights should be a state issue. President Bush proposed this in 2004, stating, “in our country, marriage has been defined at the state level for 200 years, and we believe it should continue to be defined there.” In this capacity, the two parties agree. Both believe the states should be able to decree whether or not gay marriage is legalized.

While Republicans also believe that gay rights should be left to the states to decide, Republicans as a whole would prefer to see states ban gay marriage, where Democrats hope to see the opposite. Disputes about the issue of gay marriage between the Democrat and Republican Parties have revolved heavily around the Defense of Marriage Act. In the 2012 Republican Party platform, Republicans spoke out against the current Democratic administration’s blatant disregard for the Defense of Marriage Act and the refusal to uphold it. Republicans also criticized the President’s support of allowing same-sex marriage in military bases, his push for providing federal benefits to same-sex couples, and particularly the administration’s refusal to support DOMA in courts, claiming that these actions were a direct violation of the President’s inaugural oath.

Many Republicans have stood up to protest the recent federal legalization of gay marriage. However, many Republican candidates for the 2016 election have stated that they believe that Supreme Court decisions must be upheld and, whether they support the decision or not, they will make sure that it is enforced if they are elevated president. This stands in stark contrast to President Obama’s refusal to defend DOMA, and many candidates have made a point of stating this.

Barack Obama on Gay Rights

President Obama is the first president to stand up in support of gay rights and gay marriage. President Obama is a supporter of gay marriage, but he wasn’t always outspoken about the issue. When he finally spoke out in support of the issue, he stated, “I’ve been going through an evolution on this issue. I’ve always been adamant that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally. At a certain point I’ve just concluded that, for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” When asked about his previous hesitation, Obama says, “I had hesitated on gay marriage, in part because I thought civil unions would be sufficient… And I was sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people the word ‘marriage’ was something that invokes very powerful traditions, religious beliefs and so forth.”

Hillary Clinton on Gay Rights

Originally, Hillary Clinton was not always a large supporter of gay marriage or gay rights, but today, she stands in support of it. When asked about her change of heart, Clinton states, “it really became very clear to me that if we’re going to support marriage in our country, it should be available to everyone regardless of who they love and that this marriage equality issue is a great human rights issue.” Some question her motives for this change of heart, believing that it was politically motivated. During an interview with NPR’s Terry Gross, Clinton stood up to these accusations, stating, “I think you are trying to say that I used to be opposed [to gay marriage], and now I am in favor, and I did it for political reasons. And that’s just flat wrong. So let me just state what I feel like you are implying and repudiate it. I have a strong record. I have a great commitment to this issue and I am proud of what I’ve done and the progress we’re making.”